I provide commentary on political economy, police and prosecutorial abuse, and whatever else might come to mind.
Let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24 (ESV)

Saturday, November 12, 2011

My recent LRC article on the Penn State mess

Here is a piece I had on Lew Rockwell's site in which I criticize Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly. I don't expect agreement from readers, but nonetheless I do believe that Kelly has turned this thing into something out of control.

As I see it, there is no chance whatsoever of Sandusky being able to receive a fair trial (which I suspect was part of Kelly's plan), and by seeking questionable indictments and making inflammatory statements, she has made things much worse than they should have been.

13 comments:

Isn't it ironic how when the frenzied hyperbole gets stirred up in the media, it seems that in addition to the innocent being more likely to suffer, the guilty are LESS likely? ...

Take the case of Casey Anthony, for example ... Had Nancy Grace et al not made the Caylee Anthony death so highly sensationalized, I have no doubt that Casey would be rotting in prison for many years to come as part of an ordinary and quiet plea bargain agreement.

But, thanks to all the attention produced by the rabid hysteria of Nancy Grace and her cohorts, Casey got the very best in legal representation ... and ended up being acquitted (since, after all, the actual physical evidence was nil).

As you point out in your article on the Penn State debacle, unless the alleged victim of the 2002 Shower Incident actually ever comes forward ... it is doubtful that there will ever even be a case here!

Mr Anderson, according to Dictionary.com a "first responder" as you have described yourself is a " person who is certified to provide medical care in emergencies before more highly trained medical personnel arrive on the scene: a firefighter trained as a first responder". Not a college Professor. Are you certified to provide medical training? Or did you mean to say Mandated Reporter, which you most certainly are not. A Athletic director overseeing a boys camp (indirectly) most assuredly is.

While it may've been wise and/or humane for the various university employees to advise that the graduate assistant alleged witness report this matter to the police, I wonder about the legal obligation to do so.

Are all of us obliged to report to the police everytime someone tells us they witnessed something allegedly illegal? That would be a terrifying world indeed.

Dr. Anderson, Thank you for the well written piece. Two points I see but not commented upon is through Kelly's terrible handling of the case her star witness Mr. McQueary has had his life destroyed through the media's rush to judgement without complete facts. As she asks for more victims and witnesses to come forward, after seeing Mr. McQueary destroyed how likely are they to volunteer to be put in the same predicament? Second, the accidental public filing of the presentment I believe falls under her leadership as the top law enforcement officer in Pennsylvania. Had her subordinates managed the presentment correctly the information would not be public and she perhaps could have managed it's release better in the future.

I'm a trial junkie and you don't often see a state attorney general involving themselves in a case. Of course, AG's are usually politicians rather than professional prosecutors and that is why Kelly has jumped in with televised press conferences and extravagant statements.

But it has gone way beyond Kelly. HLN has taken up this story with wall to wall coverage the way they did Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray. As I write Vinnie Politan is wailing on HLN about "the kids," and a "child being raped." And "where is the compasion for a 10-year old victim."

This is the kind of case the MSM loves. There are other cases, equally bad or worse, that HLN will not come anywhere near.

Bob Costas did a great interview of Sandusky. He asked very pointed questions and did not hold back. Sandusky's attorney did not stop his client from answering which I thought was very uncharacteristic. The most interesting thing from the interview was Sandusky's lawyer claiming that they have identified some of the alleged victims (some of whom the DA did not find) who will state that the incidents with Sandusky a) did NOT occur, and b)that they were manipulated into saying something untrue. This goes beyond mere reasonable doubt and more speaks of Sandusky's innocence. If that is the case, the DA is now the criminal. Sadly, a disbarment may be the only thing that happens.

Again, the purpose of the grand jury presentment was to indict PSU admin. in Gov. Corbett's heavy-handed play to unseat Spanier as president. One need only to look at Corbett's tenures as state AG and it is clear that if it were about getting Sandusky this case would have moved a long time ago. McQueary is the most "credible" witness yet his behaviors are the most incredible. As to Costas, midget nitwit.

About Me

I teach economics at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. We are located on the Allegheny Plateau, and we have cool summers and tough winters.
I am the single father of five children, four of them adopted from overseas and I have two grandchildren. My family and I are members of Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA).